US Deploys 'Dark Eagle' Hypersonic Missile in China's Range For First Time

Good news! Is the US finally catching up with China and Russia regarding hypersonic missiles?

The Dark Eagle meets the Guam Killer!

Is a reprise of the next Cold War coming? Better study the The Art of War by Sun Tzu!

(1794) US Deploys 'Dark Eagle' Hypersonic Missile in China's Range For First Time |Vantage on Firstpost |4K - YouTube

Chinese submarine launched ballistic missile test is said to undermine nuclear weapons-free zone in South Pacific

Concerning stuff! More sable rattling by the Communist Party of China? Was this necessary?

"China’s test this week of a submarine-launched ballistic missile follows a growing trend of nuclear powers hollowing out the integrity of nuclear weapons-free zones such as the South Pacific, analysts say.

The People’s Liberation Army Navy launched a ballistic missile from a submarine off its coast on Monday, which subsequently flew southeast over the Pacific for about 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles), according to a map released by the Taiwan National Security Council, before splashing down near the island nations of Nauru and Tuvalu. ..."

"China’s rare launch of a ballistic missile from a nuclear-powered submarine into the deep Pacific sent a strategic signal to the United States and regional neighbours, particularly Japan, amid concerns about Beijing’s military expansion. ..."

Chinese ballistic missile test is said to undermine nuclear weapons-free zone in South Pacific

What does China’s submarine missile test mean for its nuclear triad expansion? "More than a technical milestone, undersea launch sends strategic signal to the US and Beijing’s neighbours in Asia-Pacific, analysts say"

Flight pass of the SLBM (The X post did not allow to copy the image so I took a screenshot of it! Grrr!)

A test missile is fired from a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine towards the Pacific Ocean on Monday.

Genomic study reveals how people moved pigs across the Asia-Pacific region for 50,000 years

Amazing stuff! The advantages of being an omnivore! 😊

"A new study ... reveals how millennia of human migration across Pacific islands led to the introduction of invasive pig species all over the Asia-Pacific region. ...

One notable exception is pigs. Pig populations occur on both sides of the Wallace Line and extend across Southeast Asia to New Caledonia, Vanuatu and remote Polynesia. Pigs are highly effective ecological invaders, and they are also culturally important across the region, raising a key question: what role did people play in their spread?

The new paper looked at the genome of over 700 pigs, including from living and archaeological specimens. This allowed the reconstruction of their movement across Southeast Asia and identify when they arrived on certain islands and how they might have interbred with various native pig species.

The researchers found that people of different cultures have moved pig species in the region for millennia. The earliest evidence points to people living in Sulawesi perhaps as early as 50,000 years ago, known to be the earliest cave painters, who both depicted and transported warty pig species as far away as Timor, possibly to establish future hunting stock.

The introduction of pigs in Island Southeast Asia dramatically accelerated, around 4,000 years ago, when early agricultural communities transported domestic pigs into the region.

Their journey began from Taiwan, extending across the Philippines, northern Indonesia (Maluku), into Papua New Guinea, and on to the outlying islands as far as Vanuatu, and remote Polynesia. The authors also found evidence for the introduction of pigs from Europe during the colonial period.

Many of these domestic pigs escaped, and became feral, in some cases, like on the Komodo islands, hybridizing with the warty pigs brought by people from Sulawesi thousands of years earlier. These hybrid pigs are now a major source of food for the endangered Komodo dragons.

The findings of this study highlight the dramatic and enduring impact of human activity on local ecosystems in the Pacific, raising conservation conundrums. Pigs in the region today have dramatically different statuses and impacts across islands: some are considered spiritual beings, others pests, while some are now so ingrained in local ecosystems that they could almost be considered native. ..."

From the editor's summary and abstract:

"Editor’s summary

Multiple species of pigs are endemic to Maritime Southeast Asia. Some of them exhibit a distinctive tooth shape and mitochondrial DNA haplogroups, but the history of pigs in this region is not clear. Stanton et al. collected genetic data from 117 modern, historic, and ancient individuals and examined morphometric data from over 700 modern and archeological samples. After comparing with 585 published mitochondrial genomes, the authors found that domestic pigs, which were likely introduced by Austronesian-speaking groups, contributed to most pigs found today from Hawaii to the Philippines. However, early specimens from these groups show no admixture with endemic species, mirroring the lack of mixture between these early human groups with local groups during their initial migrations. ...

Structured Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Humans have long moved animal species beyond their native ranges, drastically altering ecosystems, especially on islands. The translocation of vertebrates eastward across the Wallace Line into Wallacea, a biogeographic region between the Asian and Australasian biotas, has had major environmental impacts. For example, although the natural range of the genus Sus (pigs) is primarily located in Eurasia and Western Indonesia, free-living pigs are now widespread in Wallacea.

RATIONALE

The human-mediated translocation of pigs east of the Wallace Line most likely began with S. celebensis, a species native to Sulawesi, in pre-Neolithic times >4000 years ago.

S. scrofa (the ancestor of modern domestic pigs) populations were also likely introduced east of the Wallace Line between 4000 and 3000 years ago during the expansion of Austronesian speakers from mainland East Asia and Taiwan, through the Philippines and northern Wallacea, into Melanesia and Polynesia. The geographic origin and ancestry of these populations from Wallacea and Oceania, however, remain unknown.

To establish the geographic origins of the pig populations in Wallacea, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia and the potential dispersal routes along which they traveled alongside people, we sequenced 119 Sus nuclear genomes (including 63 historical and ancient genomes) and generated geometric morphometric data (from the third lower molar) from 401 modern and 307 archaeological individuals.

RESULTS

Ancestry analyses based on ancestry deconvolution, a process by which specific ancestries in admixed individuals can be identified and isolated using local ancestry inference, highlighted multiple pig-dispersal processes in Wallacea.

The initial dispersal was a natural and/or human-mediated translocation of Island Southeast Asian endemic pigs from Java (S. verrucosus) into present-day Bali. The indigenous suid on Sulawesi, S. celebensis, then dispersed over water to the Lesser Sunda Islands, including Flores and Timor, potentially as a result of hunter-gatherer translocations more than 4000 years ago.

More recently, domestic S. scrofa pigs from southern China and the Philippines were introduced across most islands of Wallacea and Oceania sometime after 3500 to 3000 years ago.

Many of these introduced pigs later became feral on islands across the region. Finally, during the colonial period, pigs with European ancestry were introduced broadly across the region, including in the Lesser Sundas and Papua New Guinea.

CONCLUSION

Our results demonstrate that non-native free-living pigs east of the Wallace Line have a complex ancestry that primarily reflects multiple intentional introductions by people. The most important of these events was the migration of Austronesian-speaking groups, ~4000 years ago, who moved from Southeast China and Taiwan via the Philippines and introduced domestic pigs across a vast geographical region from the Philippines to Hawai‘i, many of which became feral."

Genomic study reveals how people moved pigs across the Pacific

Genomic and morphometric evidence for Austronesian-mediated pig translocation in the Pacific (no public access)

Genomic and morphometric evidence for Austronesian-mediated pig translocation in the Pacific (preprint, open access)

Map showing the dispersal of pigs into Wallacea, including deliberate introductions by people in Wallacea and the Pacific.

The numbers (1–4) on the arrows indicate the chronological order of these dispersal events, as per our analysis.

A war without war: China’s gray zone activity

Recommendable! Yes, it is troublesome! Western countries and its allies may have to respond more assertively against it!

Palau Says It’s Already at War With China

How hegemon China is bullying small Pacific Ocean island countries!

Whales and dolphins discovered in proposed deep-sea mining zone between Hawaii and Mexico. Really!

So what! We can manage to do minging without doing much harm to the environment and fauna.

Apparently, some areas of this special deep sea zone are already protected (see e.g. chart below)!

Note also the speculative nature of the research article.

"Plans to mine the ocean floor in one of the most remote stretches of the Pacific are facing renewed scrutiny, following the discovery of whales and dolphins — including an endangered sperm whale — in the area.

The Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), a vast abyssal plain stretching between Hawaii and Mexico, has long been targeted by mining companies for its rich deposits of polymetallic nodules. ...

Now, two new studies suggest the deep-sea ecosystems in the CCZ may be far more biologically complex — and vulnerable — than previously thought. ..."

"Deep-sea mining in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean could harm ocean life including whales and dolphins, new research shows. ..."

From the highlights and abstract:

"Highlights

• Noise from deep-sea mining is expected to ensonify the water column and compromise nearby reference zones

• The majority of taxa have not been studied for noise sensitivity, leaving critical knowledge gaps [???]

• Soniferous fish, key to deep-sea soundscapes, may face elevated risks from noise pollution

• Data sharing on mining noise is essential for risk management and mitigation

Abstract

Deep-sea mining activities in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), Pacific Ocean, are expected to generate continuous noise pollution across multiple depth zones, with potential impacts on biodiversity. Impact studies have primarily focused on sediment plumes and habitat destruction, leaving consequences of industrial-scale deep-sea mining noise largely unexplored.

Many marine taxa, including invertebrates, fish, and mammals, rely on sound for communication, navigation, and predator avoidance. Our systematic literature review highlights that noise sensitivity is widespread across taxa, yet only 35 % of taxonomic classes known in the CCZ have been studied for noise impacts. Soniferous fish, which rely on acoustic communication, are particularly vulnerable to noise. Chronic exposure to mining noise may have [???] cascading ecological consequences, disrupting key behaviors and physiological processes in an environment characterized by low anthropogenic stressors.

By identifying knowledge gaps and quantifying taxa likely to be vulnerable to industrial noise, this review provides the foundation to guide evidence-based management required to safeguard deep-sea ecosystems.

Given the uncertainty surrounding deep-sea biotic responses to prolonged noise exposure, we emphasize the urgent need for a transparent transfer of knowledge on noise characteristics of deep-sea mining. These data are essential for assessing risks from mining noise to species, communities, and ecosystem functions and services."

Latest science news for 3 July 2025

Whales and dolphins discovered in proposed deep-sea mining zone

 

Deep-sea mining could harm remote ocean ecosystems (original news release)

The Metals Company acquires third seabed contract area to explore for polymetallic nodules

Noise from deep-sea mining in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, Pacific Ocean will impact a broad range of marine taxa (no public access)

Source

Is the US preparing for war in the Pacific? By reactivating/restoring runways on Pacific islands long abandoned

Recommendable!

US Spends $800 Million to Upgrade WW2-era Pacific Tinian Island Airfield near Guam with Palki Sharma

Good news!

China’s Missile Test in the Pacific to Show its Might with Palki Sharma

Very recommendable and concerning! China has lately increased its nuclear arsenal significantly. Cold War again?

Pacific nations urge Japan to clean up WWII shipwrecks

Long after 1945, we are still cleaning up war debris (like unexploded ordinance) of World War II.

Presumably, the threat is exaggerated to some degree to drive donations etc.!

"Over 3000 ships sank in the Pacific during WWII, including about 300 oil tankers. As they rust, many of them are starting to leak oil. In 2001, a sunken warship in Micronesia started leaking oil and the US Navy eventually conducted a major salvage operation to remove about 6000 tons of oil from the wreck. Several Pacific Island communities are worried that major oil spills from other wrecks will soon devastatingly pollute the reefs and mangroves of their coasts.   ..."

Pacific nations urge Japan to clean up WWII shipwrecks - Nikkei Asia Oil leaks put coral reefs, mangroves and fisheries at risk, researcher warns

Potentially Polluting Wrecks project

Major Projects Foundation conducts fieldwork on sunken vessels in Chuuk Lagoon in the Federated States of Micronesia in May.

Secret Chinese "Security Pact" to Influence Solomon Islands Election? with Palki Sharma

Recommendable! 

A NATO of the Pacific Ocean is forming to contain China, North Korea, Russia

Anyone, who followed the news over the past 12 months or so could not escape noticing this trend.

China has become a bully in the region! The dictator of North Korea is a dangerous clown! Putin the Terrible seeks closer ties with China.

Europe will have to step up its defense posture to contain the megalomaniac and war criminal Putin the Terrible, while the U.S. is busy in the Pacific Ocean. India, a rising superpower, is handling the Indian Ocean!

There is a sort of World War III going on in the Ukraine. The Middle East is on fire.

US Deploys Five Aircraft Carriers to Challenge China with Palki Sharma

Very recommendable!

How a tiny Pacific Island became the global capital of cybercrime

Amazing stuff!

"Tokelau, a string of three isolated atolls strung out across the Pacific, is so remote that it was the last place on Earth to be connected to the telephone—only in 1997. Just three years later, the islands received a fax with an unlikely business proposal that would change everything.

It was from an early internet entrepreneur from Amsterdam, named Joost Zuurbier. He wanted to manage Tokelau’s country-code top-level domain, or ccTLD—the short string of characters that is tacked onto the end of a URL—in exchange for money.

In the succeeding years, tiny Tokelau became an unlikely internet giant—but not in the way it may have hoped. Until recently, its .tk domain had more users than any other country’s: a staggering 25 million—but the vast majority were spammers, phishers, and cybercriminals.

Now the territory is desperately trying to clean up .tk. Its international standing, and even its sovereignty, may depend on it."

How a tiny Pacific Island became the global capital of cybercrime

Growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Country: 2022 Figures

Mormons in the Pacific Ocean!

"... Tonga is home to the highest percentage of Latter-day Saints, with 64% of the South Pacific nation belonging to the church. Samoa ranks second ..."

Growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church): Percent Latter-day Saint by Country: 2022 Figures

Salt Lake Tribune Mormon Land

Percent Latter-day Saint by Country: 2022 Figures

See below for a list of countries/territories ranked by the percentage of Church-reported membership in the general population.

Lynk connects Palau’s off-grid islands with satellite texting

Good news! Connecting people across hundreds of islands in the Pacific Ocean!

"Satellite-to-phone connectivity provider Lynk has made its debut in Palau, where the nation’s hundreds of islands make traditional cell coverage difficult to achieve. The company’s “cell towers in space” now cover the entire country — intermittently, but that’s a lot better than nothing, and service will improve as more satellites are added to the constellation.

Lynk is among the first of a new wave of direct satellite-to-phone providers, replacing the bulky, dedicated satphones of yore by connecting ordinary mobile devices to low Earth orbit. ..."

Lynk connects Palau’s off-grid islands with satellite texting | TechCrunch

Fiji PM "Sorry" for Anti-India Coup in 1987 | India's Pacific Pivot with Palki Sharma

Recommendable! India is aiming to become a pacific power!

The new and developing ecosystem in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Amazing stuff! When nature takes over human artifacts! One man's trash is life's treasure! Life and living on a raft!

The "invasive species" fears are probably overblown or the typical alarmism and hysteria!

"Plastics floating in a massive “garbage patch” in the Pacific Ocean are home to strange new mixes of coastal and marine species ...
For the new study, researchers identified species living on just more than 100 pieces of plastic that were fished out of the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch—a region in the northern Pacific Ocean where currents converge to deposit an estimated 79,000 metric tons of plastic debris. The scientists identified 484 invertebrates from a surprising range of species on the plastic. Many of these animals were species that are more commonly found near coastlines of the western Pacific. These coastal species included “moss animals” or bryozoans, jellyfish, sponges, worms and other organisms. ..."

From the abstract:

"We show that the high seas are colonized by a diverse array of coastal species, which survive and reproduce in the open ocean, contributing strongly to its floating community composition. Analysis of rafting plastic debris in the eastern North Pacific Subtropical Gyre revealed 37 coastal invertebrate taxa, largely of Western Pacific origin, exceeding pelagic taxa richness by threefold. Coastal taxa, including diverse taxonomic groups and life history traits, occurred on 70.5% of debris items. Most coastal taxa possessed either direct development or asexual reproduction, possibly facilitating long-term persistence on rafts. Our results suggest that the historical lack of available substrate limited the colonization of the open ocean by coastal species, rather than physiological or ecological constraints as previously assumed. It appears that coastal species persist now in the open ocean as a substantial component of a neopelagic community sustained by the vast and expanding sea of plastic debris."

Surprising Creatures Lurk in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch - Scientific American

Extent and reproduction of coastal species on plastic debris in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (open access)

Extended Data Fig. 1: Marine debris categories (or types) collected for analysis from the Eastern North Pacific Subtropical Gyre.

Tonga volcano eruption felt in Atlantic Ocean seafloor on other side of world

Recommendable! The largest volcano eruption of the last 100 years or so. We were probably very luck that it was a submarine eruption otherwise we would be perhaps looking at volcanic winters! E.g. whales started chatting and singing according to the seismologist on the program.

The Tulagi turning point

Very recommendable! So China is leasing strategic islands in the Pacific!

The Tulagi turning point | The Strategist: The New York Times reported on 16 October that the People’s Republic of China had leased the island of Tulagi from Solomon Islands. A secret deal was apparently struck in September, no doubt around the ...